Don’t want to stay home to watch Eli vs. Tom? Or go to any of these places. Check out “BBQ, Booze and Bacon” on game day, Sunday, February 5 from 2 PM – 2 AM at Basement Tavern in Santa Monica. Guests will enjoy happy hour specials all night with $3 beers, $5 well drinks, $5 house red and white wines by the glass, and 50% off bottles of wine and Champagne. Complemantary hot dogs, hamburgers and BBQ dishes will be served when you buy two or more drinks.

For those with a little more dough, Basement Tavern is offering the “Bottle and Bacon” package for $1,000. Guests will get a bottle of bourbon or whiskey and bacon-wrapped hot dogs for 20 people.

Private viewing at their Fishbowl room, located below the bar can be reserved for a group of 20 people for $1,000. It comes decorated with your favorite team. Call 310-392-4956 for reservations. 2640 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90405.

Charlie Parker might have worked in some of the best kitchens up in Northern California (consider such places as Manresa, Ubuntu, and Plum), but he brings a decidedly casual affair to the rather sleepy area of West Los Angeles along Pico Boulevard. With David Fleisher (formerly of Seven Grand) taking care of cocktails and front-of-house, they’re pushing the gastropub envelope at Freddy Smalls, the brainchild of The Counter Burger owner Jeff Weinstein.

Jeremy Fox, Parker’s mentor, consulted early on with the menu but Parker is applying the neighborhood aesthetic of Oakland’s Plum restaurant, with a few simple, well-made pub favorites (that eschew the same-old burger/pizza/hot dog variants) in favor of market-fresh vegetables, house-made charcuterie, and dishes like the crispy pig ear open-faced sandwich. Amid the start of dinner service, we sat down with Parker and Fleisher to hear about their start in the restaurant industry. Read More

Know who makes the best coffee in your city? Support your favorite by voting for them on KRUPS’ Facebook page as they will honoring the best coffee shops throughout New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. Don’t see your favorite java provider? You have the option to write in whoever you want. See last year’s winners. Read More

Alan McClure of Patric Chocolate knows how to make chocolate. He’s been making them since 2004. He’s even won a couple of awards. The In-NIB-itable Bar is made with two parts: 70% Madagascar chocolate and crunchy nibs. Alan’s goal was to show two sides of cocao since not everyone has tried the unsweetened part. He says, “the contrast in flavor and texture that they give, however, is really amazing when juxtaposed with the smooth chocolate.” Which creates a chocolate bar “unlike any that most people had ever tasted.”

As San Francisco Beer Week draws closer, breweries around the cities are prepping their events. Trip Voodoo Brewing is no exception. This craft brewery will release a new, limited-release Belgian-style Grand Cru at the Opening Celebration. Other events planned include the release of collaboration beers with Lincoln, CA based Knee Deep Brewing and a second collaboration release called the “Kaleidoscope Project” featuring High Water Brewing, Pacific Brew Labs, and Golden Mongoose around town during beer week.

On Saturday, February 11, from 1 PM – 8 PM, Triple Voodoo/Golden Gate Brewery Tours will offer a $29 per person tour including bus transportation, samples of Triple Voodoo beers, live DJ, and souvenirs. The tour includes stops at Double IPA Festival at Bistro Bar, the Anderson Valley Release Night at Pi Bar, Triple Voodoo’s latest releases at Rosamunde Sausage Grill. Call 415-598-8811 for more information. Check out rest of the schedule. Read More

On Saturday February 4 on 12 PM at the El Segundo Brewing Co. in El Segundo, CA, owner and brewer Rob Croxall and the team are throwing a party to celebrate the release of Blue House Citra Pale, brewed with Citra hops. The beer described by Sales Director, Thomas Kelley as “super citrusy, ridiculously hoppy Citra Pale in your face for a little while.” Growler refills of Citra Pale is $15, they are also offering a new growler fill and a t-shirt for $28. 140 Main St., El Segundo, CA 90245.

On Wednesday, February 1 at 6 PM at the Blue Palms Brewhouse in Hollywood (set to close for a short term due to Music Box Theater’s eviction) is hosting Golden Road Brewing‘s “El Hefe Anejo & Peligroso” night featuring a flight of tequila from Peligroso and Golden Road Brewing’s un-barrelled Hefeweizen, and the barrel aged Hefeweizen Anejo, part of the head brewer Jon Carpenter‘s “Carpenter’s Cellar” series. Other beers from Golden Road will be available include: Point the Way IPA, Hefeweizen, Either Side of the Hill, Get Up Offa that Brown and more. 6124 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028. 323-464-0808.

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